Gary Adkins of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who served as president of the Professional Numismatists Guild from 2007 to 2009, serves on the Industry Council for Tangible Assets Board of Directors, and is the current vice president of the American Numismatic Association, is the recipient of the PNG 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Adkins received the award during the PNG annual banquet on August 8, 2016 in Anaheim, California.

“Gary has been actively involved in numismatics for a half century as a collector, as a dealer, as an educator and mentor and as a dedicated, forward-thinking leader of the Professional Numismatists Guild, the American Numismatic Association and the Industry Council for Tangible Assets,” said PNG President Dana Samuelson who presented the award to Adkins.

“Gary created the Professional Numismatists Guild ‘Collectors Bill of Rights,' the pledge that PNG members must follow regarding consumer protection and education. He also was a hard-working leader in the recently successful fight to rescind some of the onerous tax policies and regulations in his home state of Minnesota,” added Samuelson. A half dozen other major awards, honors and recognitions were also announced at the annual banquet.

The Sol Kaplan Award for efforts in combatting crimes against the numismatic community was presented by PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman jointly to Doug Davis (ICTA member), Michael Fuljenz (ICTA Board of Directors) and Jerry Jordan (ICTA member).

“Davis, Fuljenz and Jordan worked for nine months to provide valuable assistance to law enforcement agencies in four states that helped detectives coordinate their investigations into a series of numismatic-related crimes. Their persistent work successfully led to the arrests earlier this year of three suspected con artists who allegedly targeted elderly victims and their coin collections in California, Colorado, New York and Texas,” explained Brueggeman.

Davis, the City Manager and former Police Chief of Pantego, Texas, is Founder and President of the Numismatic Crime Information Center, and previously received a Kaplan Award in 1988. PNG member Fuljenz is President of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, and Jerry Jordan is Editor of SETinvesigates.com, an online investigative news organization in Southeast Texas.

The Art Kagin Ambassador Award for distinguished service as an advocate of numismatic goodwill was presented to Anthony Swiatek of Saratoga Springs, New York, an ICTA member and a former ANA president (1997 – 1999). PNG board member John Maben chaired the Kagin Award selection committee.

The following ICTA members were saluted for reaching 25 years of PNG membership: Warren Mills of Milford, New Hampshire; Donn Pearlman of Las Vegas, Nevada; Thomas Schell of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Anthony Swiatek of Saratoga Springs, New York.